John Kettle MMMMFMF

[Shona]

Name - "official" name and what they were known as:
John Kettle
Date and place of birth:
Born at Tillyfardine, Blackford, Perthshire
The name appears today as Tullibardine
Names of parents:
William Kettle and Ann née Thomson
Date and place of baptism - if applicable:
Baptised on 19 May 1751, Blackford parish
Details of each of his or her marriages - if any:
Married Jean Ritchie on 2 May 1774.
Occupation(s) Not known
Addresses where they lived (including county if in UK) - and please list which censuses you have or haven't found him/her on (if s/he lived in census times!):
1 Blackford parish - 1751
2 Forgandenny parish - from c1782, based on birth place of children
Date, place and cause of death and burial
Not found
Details of will / administration of their estate - if applicable:
Unlikely
Memorial inscription - if any:
None found

[Shona]

I have noted that the couple were married in May, but can't find the source of that info.

The parish register for Dunning (Jean's birth parish) for 1774 records how much money was collected - mort money, on the door, etc, as well as charity handouts. The register has the following entry for 20 March:

'Proclaimed Jo Kelltie and Jane Richie who gave half a crown.'

This looks likely to be the banns.

[kiterunner]

Have you seen this, Shona?

Freeland House Strathallan

This is the bit that will be of particular interest (you will need to scroll down to the second page shown, which seems to be page 70):

In February 1783, John Kettle, a Yorkshire estate worker who was brought north eight years earlier with his son, John, by Lord Ruthven to administrate the estate forestry improvements, had completed the eight year residency qualification for application to the poor roll. It was mentioned that John Kettle had been at the Freeland East Lodge since its construction, and had got married, for a second time, to a local girl, Jean Ritchie.

[Shona]

By gum, lass - tha's put t'cat among t'pigeons.

I have the following births for John and Jean:

1 John, 1774 in Dunning
2 James, 1782 in Forgandenny
3 Mary, 1784 in Forgandenny
4 George, 1787 in Forgandenny
5 Robert, 1789 in Forgandenny
6 Jean, 1791 in Forgandenny
7 Ann (Kittle), 1793 in Forgandenny
8 David, 1796 in Forgandenny
9 Janet, 1800 in Forgandenny

There's an eight year gap between the births of John and James, so I wonder if they had children elsewhere?

Also was he born in Yorkshire, which throws out John's birth in Blackford to William an Ann? Or did he go to work in Yorkshire? And who was the first wife? John would have been about 22 when he married Jean - if the Scottish birth is correct.

Can't see anything obvious on Ancestry for John's birth or a first wife.

[Shona]

OK - just found a baptism for William Kettle in 1792 in Forgandenny on Family Search.

This seems to indicate that John was the son of William and Ann.

[kiterunner]

I wonder whether you can get to see copies of the documents that they used to research that book, Shona.

[Shona]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

I wonder whether you can get to see copies of the documents that they used to research that book, Shona.

Done!

[kiterunner]

Done, you've seen them, or done, you've arranged to see them?

[Shona]

Done - as in sent emails asking for the sources and if I could see the relevant documents. Although the link you found went to Strathallan School's website, I reckon the info initially came from a book called Forgandenny - it's place in History by Gregory Ross.

I've also viewed some more OPR images on SP. So to recap:

John - first child to John and Jean - was baptised in her home parish of Dunning in 1774. Then follows an eight-year gap in the births.

The 1782 baptism in Forgandenning for son James adds weight to the story in the book.

'July 21st
John Kettle workman at Lord Ruthven's East Lodge Gate and Jean Richie his wife had a son baptised that was born on the twelfth and named James.'

However, the next two baptisms - for Mary (my direct ancestor) and George - show that John was 1) a workman at Bullarscraigs and 2) creelman at Bullars-craigs.

My Argyll clan catch lobsters in creels, so I wonder what John was catching? I haven't located Bullars-craigs yet.